Badminton plans pro. coach

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32873, 23 March 1972, Page 14

Badminton plans pro. coach

The possibility of employing a professional coach, to give tuition on the game in schools was discussed at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Badminton Association last evening. Mr b. W. Crofts said that badminton was “just not getting the type of athlete from the schools who would take it up as a major sport.” Badminton needed somebody like Mr S. Clark ot Canterbury tennis, whose tuition fees were subsidised by the schools and the tennis association. , . "I wonder how the clubs would feel about a junior devdopment levy for local players,” the chairman of the provincial committee (Mr J. Patton) said. . . .. Several delegates spoke of the difficulties badminton faced in ring the faculties it needed competition with basketball, another winter Indoor sport, even though the numbers wishte^» We the situation as "having got to the stage where it wasTbelng Plaited in schools only by the privileged “it seems we are competing

against basketball,” Mr Crofts said. "We will get pushed out altogether If we don't do somemust be more positive tai our approach,” the vice-president (Mr K. Thorne) said, "we won’t achieved it all overnight, but we must endeavour to make progress.” The president (Mr K. K. Macefield) said that Mr Clark would be available to coach schools’ badminton this winter. Mr Crofts, who initiated the discussion of a number of subjects during the meeting, was successful in proposing that the New Zealand Badminton Federation hold its annual meettag at an earlier date. The proposal was in the form of a notice of motion to the 1*73 annual meeting and if successful, will allow dubs to set their subscriptions for the season after they know the size of the national and provincial affiliation fees and levies Instead of before, as is the present titnation, Mr Crofts criticised the size of the grant (1150) given by Rothmans towards the mnnlng ofthe New Zeidand open and

junior championships in Christchurch last season. He said that the champion ahiM had been conducted at a small toes With a mere substantial sponsor, Similar to that gained mate regularly by tennis, this would not occur. Mr Thorne explained the conditions of the Rothmans grant down." Mr Patton added that the sponsorship of the national coach was an additional great benefit Mr Crofts said ho realised it was a, "national matter" but LSra?. l Wr had recently paid 28000 to have Its name appended to a women's Ch “ S l rt ® o » W P cnrunenurcn. Officers elected were:—President,.Mr R. K. Maeefield; vice president, Mr R. Thorne; secretary, Mrs A. K. Smith; treasurer, Mr B. B. Galbraith: committee. Goddard; Messrs J. Patton, M. Honeyman, I. Ross, N. Gardiner. B. Boloskl, H. Warren, Schubte%